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People visit the Emerald Isle for many reasons, among them history, genealogy, golf and beer. But what brings visitors back is the Irish themselves, as friendly, easygoing and genuine a people as you’ll ever meet.

One of the most straightforward ways to meet locals and experience Irish hospitality is to stay at a bed and breakfast – there are about 1,800 in the Republic of Ireland and 500 in Northern Ireland (many are listed at www.bandbireland.com). B&Bs offer guests the feeling of being among friends eager to share their knowledge of surrounding attractions and local food producers, artisans and merchants.

At the Bungalow Farmhouse B&B, a typical country retreat in the southeast of Ireland, guests are quickly acquainted with slow living. “After showing guests to one of the four ensuite rooms, I put the kettle on for tea and prepare fresh homemade scones and jam while they are settling in,” says Gretta Power, who has been running the B&B with her husband Sean on their farm in Clonmantagh since 1992. She’ll usually sit with guests for a chat over tea and answer any questions they may have about things to do in the area.

A five-course dinner can be ordered in the Bungalow dining room, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day here. This includes a cold buffet with cereals, yogurt, fruit, cheese and cold cuts and a selection of hot breakfasts, including the full Irish — fried eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato and black and white puddings — all served with a selection of homemade bread, scones and jam preserves and coffee, hot chocolate or tea.

“We try to give all our guests a real Irish welcome so they leave with a good night’s sleep, great food and fantastic memories that will live long in their minds,” she says.

Power’s persuasion seems to have worked on the staff at Quebec City’s St. Patrick’s High School, who recently visited with a group of students for the third time and promised to be back again next year.

Travellers seeking more cosmopolitan amenities can hang their hat at Julie and Brian Mahon’s Annandale House, a four-room, century-old B&B located in Drumcondra, a leafy suburb just north of Dublin. In addition to enjoying such modern conveniences as free Wi-Fi Internet, guests can avoid having to drive into Dublin by taking a city bus that passes every few minutes.

A former hotel worker, Julie Mahon makes a point of sharing her enthusiasm for meeting new people. “At breakfast time, guests sit together around a large table. I always introduce everyone and start the conversation going. For some people, it’s their first meeting people from different countries,” she says.

Mahon is quick to point out that running a B&B out of her home isn’t just a job. “It’s a point of pride that guests have a good time when they visit our city. We give tested and true advice on where to get the best pint and food, and where to avoid.”

One of her favourite things to do in Dublin is the Hop On Hop Off bus tours. These two-hour guided tours offer riders a chance to visit various attractions, or just sit back and enjoy the guided tour featuring entertaining and odd anecdotes you won’t read in any brochure.

And for a true taste of slow culture, visitors should stop in at the nearest public house.

“The pub is truly the centre of social activity. It’s the neighbourhood gathering place,” says Carole Zabbal, a Montreal-based copywriter who lived in Ireland for several years.

Although many pubs have been transformed by tourist expectations — walls are often covered in kitschy memorabilia and kitchens serve standardized “pub grub,” like hamburgers, fish and chips and shepherd’s pie — they’re still the best place to rub elbows with Irish people and enjoy the craic (pronounced “crack,” a local expression meaning “fun.”)

The pub is where you’ll develop an ear for the innate Irish gift of the gab and Irish humour, honed over centuries when the “luck of the Irish” was understood as a long-running in-joke. Zabbal fondly remembers many a pub night filled with the sounds of traditional music, a beat that can stir the heart — and feet — of any listener.

“In the countryside, people often bring their instruments to the pub, and if a jam session starts to take shape, they may join in,” she says. You may find yourself joining the impromptu singing and dancing that often ensues — even if you don’t know any of the words or moves. That’s why they call beer “liquid courage.”

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